Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Quick Post: CU/Arizona Q&A at Pachoops.com

As is tradition, friend of the blog Adam Butler from Pachoops.com reached out to BuffNation for some answers on the eve of the CU/Arizona game. @JGIsland, @CUGoose and myself were more than happy to oblige, and our answers have been posted. I highly encourage you to pop over and get informed prior tomorrow's showdown in Tucson.

A small sample:

"Most important player: Askia Booker, Josh Scott, other?

(Me): Tough one. Both are vital to the Buffs without Dinwiddie, and both have stepped up in his absence (Scott – 39 points, 16 rebounds last weekend; Booker – 34/8/8; combined – 61% from the field). Both are team leaders, and a quiet night from either severely limits Colorado’s ceiling.

In reality, the answer is Scott, if only because there are few players in the conference that can actually guard him. He demands a double-team on the block, which opens up opportunities for others, and his 15-18 foot jumpers make him a very difficult assignment. Askia’s transition into a more efficient player will be very important, but the offense (and, to an extent, defense) now runs through Jelly.

It must be said, however, that they can’t do it alone. Just look at last Thursday’s game against UCLA. The pair had a fantastic game (40 points combined), but CU rarely threatened in the second half. The culprit was the 16 point, 13 turnover, 22% shooting effort from the rest of the roster. Whether it be Xavier Johnson, Jaron Hopkins, or the rare assertive offensive night from Wes Gordon, someone else has to contribute for CU to compete."